Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: I Want to Go Home
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As we left Mount Wudang, the noisy clamor of the secular world crashed over us like waves.
The inn at the base of the mountain path, Cloud Sea Pavilion, was packed to the brim with martial artists who had come down after watching the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament.
We found a quiet corner table and ordered some simple refreshments.
When the steaming dumplings and hot tea arrived, Senior Disciple lifted her teacup to moisten her lips and fixed her gaze on me.
Through the rising steam from her cup, her eyes curved playfully.
"To claim a victory even I couldn't achieve... I wonder how delighted the Sect Leader will be."
"You're too kind. It's all thanks to your guidance, Senior Disciple."
"No need for false modesty. The weight at the tip of your sword was all your own."
Senior Disciple took another sip from her teacup, her expression one of quiet satisfaction.
The clear tea sliding down her throat sounded almost musical.
She gazed out the window at the foothills of Mount Wudang for a moment, then turned back to me with a peculiar smile.
"But you know..."
Her voice dipped slightly in tone.
She set her teacup down with elegant grace, but her piercing gaze held a sharp edge.
"Breaking an opponent's sword is one thing, but breaking their spirit too? That's no easy feat. Especially someone from the famously prideful Hebei Peng Clan."
Senior Disciple rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward.
"So, how exactly did our Jianghu prodigy soothe little Soyeon to turn that fierce tigress into a docile kitten?"
Her eyes lingered obsessively on the nape of my neck.
Beneath that gaze lay a strange curiosity and keen intuition.
"W-what do you mean? I just... talked it out, like you said. Through conversation..."
I tried to play it cool and shoved a dumpling into my mouth.
"With your heart? Hmm... I doubt it was just hearts that were shared."
Senior Disciple's eyes narrowed like a fox's.
Before I could even swallow the dumpling I was chewing, her sharp questions came raining down.
"If it was just hearts... then why the elaborate bath from morning till now? As if you were scrubbing away every last trace of qi from your body."
"Th-that was... I thought it proper to purify body and mind before meeting a senior like Xuanhe True Person..."
It was a lame excuse, but it held some logic.
Senior Disciple just snorted.
"Oh? Since when has our little junior been so well-versed in etiquette? Care to explain where you were all night, with your room empty?"
"Well... the talk with Peng Soyeon just dragged on..."
My voice cracked mid-sentence.
Senior Disciple propped her chin on her hand, savoring my flushed face with evident amusement.
Then her gaze suddenly fixed on my shoulder.
Her pale fingers gently lifted the collar of my daoist robe.
There, atop the claw marks Peng Soyeon had raked into my skin like a wild beast the night before, dried blood had crusted over.
"What's this wound?"
Senior Disciple's eyes flashed with a seductive glint.
"Th-this is... uh, well..."
Words failed me.
It was too intimate for a sparring injury, too vivid for a bug bite.
My face burned; I wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Hmm..."
After staring at me intently for a long while, Senior Disciple let out a chuckle.
She smoothed my collar back into place and patted my shoulder.
"Alright, I get it. I won't pry. Let's call it a sparring wound."
Senior Disciple picked up the last dumpling with her chopsticks and held it to my lips.
Her smile was mischievous, yet brimmed with boundless indulgence.
"In exchange, on the way back to Mount Hua, you'll tell me the tale of how you tamed that tigress. In... exquisite detail."
We hadn't even crossed the threshold of the inn.
Like a dam bursting, the crowd that had filled the space outside Cloud Sea Pavilion surged toward us in an instant.
"Here he comes! The champion of this Dragon-Phoenix Tournament, Yi Yi of Mount Hua Sect!"
"It's really him! That steadfast young hero who defeated the Hebei Peng Clan's young lady!"
It went beyond mere curiosity—a frenzied hunger.
Nothing like the crowd that had gathered when we first arrived and they spotted Senior Disciple, the "Plum Blossom Sword Sage."
Back then, it was gazes tinged with respect. Now, greedy eyes gleamed like those fixed on a rare treasure.
"Young hero! I wish to ask about your wondrous Plum Blossom Swordsmanship! What's the secret?!"
"Hey! My lifelong dream is to feel the qi of the world's greatest! Just let me grasp your hand once!"
The people pressed in like an angry tide.
Some yanked roughly at my sleeves, others clamped onto my shoulders, probing my meridians with iron grips.
The stench of sweat, dust, and ragged breaths from the excited mob choked the air.
"Out of the way! I need to check first! I must feel that profound dantian qi with my own hands!"
"Nonsense! I'm first! Young hero Yi Yi, please just bless my son with a word!"
Order had collapsed long ago.
They treated me not as a martial artist, but as a divine idol whose touch brought fortune.
Dozens of hands groped my arms, waist, even chest, heedless of my wishes.
"Wait... please calm down..."
I tried to uphold the dignity of a righteous sect, but the crush of the crowd was too much even to resist with my inner power.
Amid the chaos, a voice from the edge of the throng recognized Senior Disciple.
"Hey? Isn't that the 'Plum Blossom Sword Sage,' Plum Blossom Yeon?"
"It is! Runner-up of the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament eight years ago! True to Mount Hua Sect's prestige!"
"Lady Yeon! I still can't forget that beautiful sword dance from eight years back! Please grace us too!"
The crowd began swarming Senior Disciple as well.
She had stayed by my side at first to protect me, but the relentless press from both sides inexorably forced us apart.
I caught a glimpse of her troubled smile over the shoulders before it vanished into a sea of black hair.
I was left alone, isolated like a splintered boat in the vortex of cheers and desire.
It felt like a storm had swept through.
The courtyard in front of the inn was thick with dust, and we, having barely escaped the mob, faced each other with disheveled clothes.
My robe collar hung half-open, and a stray lock of Senior Disciple's hair tickled her cheek.
"Haa... haa..."
Panting heavily, I scanned our surroundings.
The people who had backed off kept stealing reverent glances our way.
Each look felt like a burning arrow.
"Senior Disciple... are you alright?"
"I'm fine. You, though—you just endured quite the initiation."
Senior Disciple tucked the stray hair behind her ear and chuckled softly.
I couldn't hide my daze as I blankly stared down at my hands.
The spots where dozens of hands had groped me moments ago still seemed sticky with strangers' warmth.
"Is this... what fame feels like? The way they looked at me—like I was someone else entirely. It was thrilling, but also frightening... My mind's in a whirl."
At my candid confession, Senior Disciple's eyes softened.
She stepped closer and straightened my disheveled collar with care.
Her touch was infinitely gentle and delicate, unlike the rude groping from before.
"Yes, that's the taste of fame. Sweet, yet sharp..."
Her voice was low and solemn.
"In the Jianghu, fame is a double-edged sword. It elevates your name, but invites envy, jealousy, and endless challenges. You can no longer hide in the shadows. Every move you make will be on everyone's lips across the land."
A chill ran down my spine at her words.
Only now did I truly feel the heavy shadow lurking behind the cheers of my victory over Peng Soyeon.
But Senior Disciple soon patted my shoulder with a playful smile.
"Don't be too scared, though. The burden of fame is heavy, but better than having none at all. Nothing's more futile than a warrior fading into obscurity without leaving a name."
As I absently fastened my collar, lost in the sweet intoxication of fame, my fingers froze.
The familiar weight in my inner chest pocket was gone.
Anxiety surged through me.
I frantically patted down my robes.
My fingers found only the thin fabric of my undergarment.
"What's wrong? You look pale."
My hands moved even faster at Senior Disciple's question.
I shook out my sleeves and rummaged through my belt, but grasped only air.
A shock like my heart plummeting hit me, the world spinning.
"It's... it's gone."
My voice trembled beyond my control.
"What is?"
"The Summoning Pill... the one Xuanhe True Person bestowed, from the Murim Alliance... it's gone!"
The Summoning Pill held meaning far beyond the elixirs hawked in markets.
It was the dream of every martial artist—an elixir to boost inner power—and proof of victory in this Dragon-Phoenix Tournament.
The lustrous pill Xuanhe True Person had personally awarded to Peng Soyeon and me side by side... vanished without a trace.
"What? Search again!"
Senior Disciple's eyes widened in shock.
Sticky hands fumbling in my robes amid the crowd flashed through my mind like a montage.
Groping hands disguised as cheers and awe.
Someone had surely stolen my glory in that chaos.
"I swear... I tucked it safely inside... in all that commotion earlier..."
Senior Disciple's brows furrowed as she took in my dazed expression.